I loved seeing former President Clinton at the DNC on TV; his speech triggered an immense, powerful wave of 90’s nostalgia. Not only were the 90s the decade I grew up in, during which my identity as an individual was forged, it also represented a simpler time for America: a time when the biggest problem facing the American people was the fact that our president was getting his dick sucked.
I believe that in 10 years when we look back on the Bush administration, we will remember a time of international tension and uncertainty, a time when our alliances were strained, when our nation was in fear of the faceless “terrorist” enemy, further manipulated and confused by all the “terror alerts,” lorded over by an empire-like coalition of multi-billionaire government figures and corporate cronies in the White House, and on top of it all a president who at best appears to be inept as a communicator and at worst appears to be a bumbling idiot. All in all, a lousy four (or possibly eight) years.
The 90s were so cool! Hootie and the Blowfish! Good shows on Nickelodeon! MTV before it sold out! That haircut that was dyed blond on top with the brown roots on the bottom (1998! I had it!) Tomagotchis! Nintendo 64! BILL CLINTON!!!
While this is most certainly Pit-bound, I’d just like to say that had I been an American citizen in 2000, and had the 22nd Amendment not existed, I’d’ve gladly voted Clinton for a third term, for the simple reason that I don’t give a fuck about “moral leadership” from elected officials and think anyone who does is kind of a sap. I care more for able administration and effective compromise solutions, and Clinton seemed pretty cool in those departments, or at least a hell of a lot cooler than his likely opponent; GWB.
Ah yes, the Clinton years. The time that saw the rise of al Qaeda while the US slept. The years when the Sept 11 WTC attacks were planned. It was a simpler time because we were ignorant of what was going on.
Well, while the US public might have been sleeping, the White House was not. It is well documented by now that Clinton was quite well aware of the threat posed by Al Qaeda and Usama Bin Laden, and had gotten the best minds together to develop a plan that would reduce the threat. This plan was handed to Bush as he took over the White House, but was then ignored by Bush and his team. They were much more interested in tax cuts than international policy and terrorism. If they had followed the plan as written, many experts have stated that 9/11 probably would not have happened.
Yes, I remember the 90s well. Back when my portfolio was robust instead of looking like someone ran it through a wood chipper, there was a 5 trillion dollar surplus instead of a 4 trillion (and counting) dollar deficit, and we were all better off than we had been in a long time. Hearing President Clinton speak, and then Al Gore, I was reminded of a time when intellect reigned in WDC instead of flying monkeys.
It depressed me to think of what has transpired in such a short time.
Look, maybe we were ignorant of what was going on, but at least the President was not making deals with Osama Bin Laden’s brother and hanging out with the Saudi Royal Family.
Yes, the '90s! When the Cold War ended, the Iron Curtain fell, and we Americans all felt so jubilant and triumphant and we seemed to be on the road to lasting world peace!
It is funny how you can get use to things. I missed the DNC as my cable is out (I am in the middle of a move), but I heard Clinton speak maybe two weeks ago. The feeling of nostalgia was overwhelming. Not because of what he said, but because of how he said it. Politics completely aside, I really miss a president who can speak.
I was never a Clinton fan. The look in his eyes when he was stumping in the '94 primaries scared the living bejeezus out of me. It was the look of a man who was possessed by power lust. And I never lost that impression of him until he was out of office.
Still, the way the “other party” whined and cried and stamped its feet and played dirty because they weren’t the winners pissed me off.
That’s the essence of what I remember of 90’s politics.
The real pathetic thing is that when I was watching him speak the other night, a little voice in my head said “that man is more qualified than the two who are running.”
Ah, the time when the self-deluded republican jingoids were still on the fringe…
When our president took the threat of terroism seriously, and personally lit fires under cabinet staffers’ asses to keep on top of it…
When the bitter and the whiny had to resort to examining a president’s personal life to find things to complain about… and even that turned out to be groundless…
When we were respected by our allies abroad, and our enemies were limited to a few nutjobs holed up in tent compounds in the desert…
When the leaders of the Democratic party became so croniefied and bureaucratized that they couldn’t think of their own ideas… and so had to steal those of the Republicans…
When investment capitalists and CEOs from silicon valley to Houston to Wall Street learned they could invent wealth from nothing based on nothing but marketing hype, horseshit, and insider trading…
Yes… things were so much better when we were ignorant of what was really going on.
Remind me again how many al Qaeda opperatives were apprehended during the 90s?
I’m not defending Bush here. I don’t think he took the threat of terrorism seriously at all. But I just can’t get all that excited about “plans” that Clinton might have devloped. Show me some real, significant results and I’ll sing his praises from the rooftops.
Again, I spent less than five minutes searching for this stuff. It’s out there, in plain sight. To continue claiming that Clinton was asleep at the wheel when it comes to terrorism would be nothing more than spreading ignorance.
